Buying Gemstone Beads

...are they real?

© by Lynne E. Richardson; all rights reserved

I am fairly new to the jewelry making business and learning new things every day. One of the hardest lessons I've had to learn is how to buy semi-precious gemstone beads with any sort of confidence at all. I had a bad experience early on, and I've suffered from a touch of paranoia ever since.

The event which generated my distrust of gem show vendors was discovering that, to my shock and amazement, some of my beads had faded while waiting for me to create some fabulous masterpiece.

My initial reaction was that the vendor who sold them to me was a crook and a scum bag who had knowingly deceived me, and, since he was in a traveling show - Ha! - I could never track him down and demand my money back. That hurt, and, worse still, it made me feel like a rube at a side show; a country bumpkin; a greenhorn; an idiot.

After some reflection and self-recrimination, however, I began to realize that I wasn't a complete idiot; after all, I did get good pearls. I also grudgingly admitted that the vendor might not actually be a total miscreant who knew full well what he was selling, but nonetheless, the words caveat emptor took on personal meaning, and I began to realize that it's a jungle out there where gemstone beads are concerned.

I realize now that many things can come together to create a disaster such as I experienced, and it is entirely possible that the vendor from whom I purchased the bad beads may not have been entirely at fault.

Considering the number of people who handle stones from the time they are dug from the earth until some eager designer purchases them, it's amazing that we ever get anything really good to work with! At any point along the way there are opportunities for a dishonest person to ply his nefarious trade, or for an honest person to make a mistake.

I have come to rely on a handful of vendors who seem to be honest folk, but they have also been taken advantage of. They've told me about selecting materials and then not getting what they ordered. Since most of these semi-precious gemstones come from foreign countries, it's not always easy to return, exchange, or get a refund, so they have their problems, too.

If the truth were known, there are probably no more dishonest vendors selling beads at gem shows than selling cars in any major city. It's a matter of perception.

I can't say that I have learned to completely trust the people behind the tables at the shows, but I have educated myself enough to at least protect myself a little. I read everything I can about the stones I'm interested in and ask pertinent questions. If I don't like the answers I get, I walk away.

I'm not so naïve as to think that I couldn't be lied to, but I at least go in with my eyes wide open and aware that there are pitfalls to be avoided. I also tend to stick with vendors who are willing to discuss their merchandise and from whom I've made satisfactory purchases before.

That said, I know that the next time I enter some convention center and see piles of glittering gemstone beads on row upon row of tables, my eyes will glaze over, I will get a knot in my stomach, my palms will sweat and my mouth will be as dry as the Sahara. Obviously, I still have some work to do.

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